


and so the journey begins anew

by Sparkl



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Luke Lives Au, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 21:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13667247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparkl/pseuds/Sparkl
Summary: Luke may have survived the fall in the lake but there are many more trials he must face in the hell that the world has become. Clementine has to come to terms with caring for a child in a hostile world whilst being a child herself. They have to count on each other and forge new friendships in order to save themselves and all that remains.





	and so the journey begins anew

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place where Luke survives the fall. And it will go on from there. I plan on keeping the time skip but don’t worry the perspective will stay on Clem and Luke.

Cold. 

The first thought that came to Luke’s mind was how cold the afterlife was. Cold and dark. Fucking Kenny trying to kill Arvo on a frozen lake was bound to wind up in disaster. Unfortunately that disaster was him dropping into freezing water. Oh wait! He was drug down by a walker wasn’t he. Did he get mauled instead? Either way, death was not what he expected it to be.

Or maybe that’s being a walker. Makes sense, being trapped in this cold darkness would probably make finding warm meat easier.

“Luke! Wake up! Don’t die, not now. Not like this.” A female’s accented voice jolted him from his reverie.

Wait now I’m confused. 

He was further shocked as rough hands shook him and a huskier woman’s voice growled in his ears, “Luke, get your ass up now! Clementine almost died for you and that—

“Are you really going to bring that up? She was the lightest it made the most sense.”

“No, she’s the most expendable from what I’ve seen the shit you guys put her through”

A gruff male voice now interjected between the two women. “Now listen here. That little girl is my life and I know she does more than she should. But she ain’t some kinda weak coward like some people here! 

Okay. Yeah not dead and probably not a walker even though the urge to kill is starting to build. Welp time to end this argument and wake the hell up. Here comes the shitty part.

Luke began to move his hands and toes and even though he anticipated the stinging pain it was so striking that he couldn’t help but call it in pain when the burning sensation began. 

“Everybody be quiet, y’all need to learn some better bedside manners.” 

His voice came out cracked and was more of a croak then the quip he imagined. Three bodies ready to knock the shit out of each other turned to the direction of his voice. Bonnie rushed to his side and grasped his hand as her teary red flushed face relaxed into relief.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Bonnie’s hands working on warming up his as she smiled down at him.

“You were in the water for so long, we didn’t think you would have made it” 

She had leaned her face in but quickly snapped back to her previous position before she made a decision she would regret.

Wait, Clementine she fell with me. Where is she! 

Luke sat up so quickly he could feel the bile rising in his throat from the sudden movement. His eyes flicked from all the occupants of the room in search of the girl who saved him despite his warnings. His eyes fell on Kenny who stood steadfast by the smaller lump of blankets cradled in Jane’s lap. Kenny’s usual stormy face was intensified by the closeness demonstrated by the woman who abandoned them towards the girl who by all means was the last of his family. When their stares connected all of that anger and frustration against the situation turned to Luke as he took a step towards him, fists clenched and body held taut as if he would beat him as he had done to Arvo previously.

“ You DON’T get to ask where Clementine is! She’s a little girl and you and that bitch decided she would be fit to pull you out of a fucking lake” Kenny snarled out with his teeth and his hatred bared.

Well I didn’t get to ask yet.

The accusation had Bonnie gasp beside him. But the insinuation that Luke had wanted Clementine in that difficult position had him on his feet immediately. His legs gave out from the pain of the gunshot wound and his body weak from his brush with a frozen and suffocating death.He kneeled with one hand braced on the floor as Bonnie tried to help him up although he quickly brushed her arms away. He looked up at Kenny standing above him as if Kenny actually seemed ready to fight a man already down.

No way. This guy is not going to accuse me of putting the group in danger not after all the shit he pulled. 

Luke could feel his face morph into a scowl as he attempted to be just as intimidating from his place on the floor. 

“You think I wanted this to happen!?” He waved his arm around the dilapidated house showcasing Clem half frozen with Jane, Arvo tied up black and blue by the stairs, and Mike holding the still silent AJ as he and Bonnie looking as if they would fall apart any minute. 

“I told Clem to stay back. I am always telling her to stay back! You asked her to do that walkie-talkie business. You let her participate in the violent brutal murder of a—

“ THAT MOTHERFUCKER DESERVED EVERYTHING HE GOT” Kenny moved closer into Luke’s space and stabbed his finger towards Luke’s face. “Just because you were to weak to make a move against that psycho and would rather wait around to be captured doesn’t mean that what I did was wrong. EVERYTHING I do is to protect Clem and now that baby. And Clem isn’t some ordinary little girl she’s practically a boy the way she handle herself and fight,” Kenny’s chest heaving with exertion and his face turning red.

At this Jane’s head turned sharply towards the men arguing as she spoke lowley whilst stroking the still sleeping Clementine’s hair.

“There is nothing boyish about this girl. She’s just smarter and braver than the rest of you idiots combined. We can’t seclude her from the rest of the world but we can’t throw her into it either”

She nodded her head towards their Russian captive,“She even asked me why we didn’t just kill that dweeb when we had the chance. She isn’t an ordinary little girl, she’s a survivor but that doesn’t mean we turn her into a monster,” Jane gazed at the still shivering girl in her lap, “ Besides its not Luke who decided it would be a great idea to send a little girl to save a grown man.” Her icy glare stabbing through Bonnie who had strayed to the side of the room alongside Mike and Arvo.

Bonnie’s attention snapped towards the ongoing argument between the three defacto leaders of the groups. “She was the only one who could have crossed the ice safely!”

Luke swayed up to his feet again and pointed towards Clem and himself. “I can’t stand straight, Clementine is still unconscious, and AJ hasn’t made a noise since we last took a rest. And you call that safely.” He then whirled around towards Kenny and Jane. “I tried to get everyone here safely! I wanted Clem to stay away! Nick is dead. Pete is dead. Sara, Alvin, Rebecca everyone is fucking gone and I know we all hate eachother but for God’s sake we need to get our shit together just until we can find out where we are all going to go.”

Kenny’s eye had began bleeding at this point as his injuries caved under the stress of the situation. “That’s the first reasonable thing you have said this entire goddamn time. We get the kids right then we go our separate ways” He jerked towards the rest of the group. “Is that alright with everyone here?”

Mike signed, “Yeah, let’s just move one step at a time. We patch up, make a new plan, and then we can kill each other.”

Bonnie shoved Mike’s arm. “ Don’t say it like that, but otherwise I agree. Now that Luke is alright, we wait for Clementine to get better and we wait for what’s next.”

Even with the resolution the tension still crackled across the room. Luke returned to his place in the armchair that he woke up in and just about collapsed in on himself.

This isn’t going to work. Not with us. Not with everybody.

———————&—————————

Lee, please save me from the fools that are my new group.

Hours had passed since the initial blow up. Clementine had long been awake but had decided to rest further in case her presence would bring more strife to the group. Kenny had gone with AJ and Jane had taken to patrolling the perimeter. Luke had passed out shortly after, probably from over exerting himself after almost dying. At the thought of her friends Clementine curled further into herself and pushed her face into the pile blankets and rugs Jane and Kenny had gotten for her.

Bonnie just wanted to help. Granted it wasn’t the best plan but I still did it. It’s more my fault than anything. Just like with Sarita and Sara. I should have moved quicker.

Clementine scrunched her face at the thought of Sara’s death.

At least Kenny cared about Sarita. But Sara’s death doesn’t matter to anybody. 

Even Kenny who acted like he was the savior of the children in the group didn’t seem to bothered by allowing one to be mauled by the walking dead.

Was it because she wasn’t...

Clementine shook her head attempting to fling her darker thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t afford to think badly of Kenny. He was the only one left. Even if he was still the brash coward from before. He’s the only thing from back then. It was almost and if she could squint her eyes and make her brain fuzzy it was almost like—

Lee will appear any minute. With Mom and Dad and then I can leave and go with them instead. Lee fixed Kenny last time which means he can be fixed again.

Resolving herself she pulled herself to a seated position and glanced towards the clump that was Luke asleep in the armchair.

Luke is like Ben. Less stupid and more trustworthy but it’s fun to have a friend who doesn’t make me do all the work.

Jane’s profile could be seen from the window as she stood guard outside. Mostly just burning off energy than any real guarding.

But Jane is fun too. She knows things and can survive for a time. But-

AJ let out a quick shriek from wherever he was but Kenny could be heard shushing the baby before he could start sobbing in earnest. Jane’s body stiffened at the sound of the baby and her face morphed into a scowl as she stomped off to who knows where.

She doesn’t like the baby and no matter how cool she is, she can’t be trusted to stay and fight if things get to tough.

Jane had left once. And even though she did come back people who left once could always leave again. Her insistence towards Rebecca getting rid of the baby and justification for abandoning Sara meant she had no room for the weak.

But we are all going to have our weak days. And who’s to say that we deserve to die because of it.

The front door was eased open as the aforementioned Jane quietly snuck in shutting the door behind her. She began walking towards Clem and her face warmed as she saw the girl was up and moving at the least. She sat down beside Clem and gave her curls a ruffle as the first genuine smile she had all day appeared on her face.

“Nice to see you up, Clem,” She nudged Clem’s shoulder with her own, “Now I can finally have some decent company to talk to around her.”

Clementine gestured towards Luke, “I thought you guys were friends?”

Or girlfriend-boyfriend maybe. She didn’t quite understand what had happened between them and why it made Kenny so mad. Well Kenny does tend to get mad a lot these days.

Jane tilted her head back and let out a groan, “He’s not a bad guy. Just not my style. I’m more of a one night only kinda gal.”

Clem’s eyes squinted together as she rose her eyebrows, “What does that mean?”

Jane quickly realizing that this child may be accustomed to killing but there were still things she was blissfully innocent of knowing. She rubbed the back of her neck “Well that’s a lot to explain,” She turned to face towards Clem “How old are you now?”

Clementine wasn’t quite sure but if she had to make a guess it needed to be older than 10 and younger than 13. Old enough to be a big kid and young enough that it didn’t seem like she was lying. She sat up straighter and folded her arms across her chest.

“I’m twelve! Can’t you tell?” With that Jane winced and began to scratch her face.

“Damn never thought I would have to do this but if you’re twelve then I guess it’s better to get it over with now then wait until it happens.”

The bundle that is Luke began to groan as he to sat up and looked towards the girls.

“Please do y'all have to do this now” 

Jane scoffed, “Of course better now than never. Unless you want to be stuck with her one day and she has a panic attack because she’s bleeding and in pain and doesn’t know what happened.”

What the hell is going on? What blood? What pain?

Clementine flicked Jane behind the ear to gain her attention. “What are you talking about? What’s this about pain and blood?” 

Jane turned back towards the girl, “Well Clem have you noticed something about the women in the group you have been in” 

Ohhh! She’s talking about that period thing Christa had explained to her once.

She perked up now that she could follow the conversation “Oh, are you talking about periods” 

Luke folded over in embarrassment, “ So this is how I die, from the puberty talk. Of all things to get me”  
Jane grabbed a pillow and threw at Luke. “You’ll survive and if not, more food for us” She leaned towards Clementine and asked her, “Well what do you know already?”

“My friend Christa told me about it a while ago. So I know about how it’s because our bodies have baby houses and they get destroyed every month when there isn’t a baby”

Luke let out a laugh at that description and leaned on one of the armrests “I guess that is one way of explaining it” Jane picked up another pillow and brandished it as she raised an eyebrow in warning. Luke threw up his hands in surrender before returning to hold his face over the armrest.

“She didn’t tell how you how the babies got there did she or did she just go full kindergarten on the whole situation” Luke looked away blushing once he realized what he had said. 

Jane waved her hand dismissively towards Luke, “Now Clem, that ‘baby house’ is what’s called a womb and the uterus is where the babies are made or where the blood comes from when there is none.” Jane looked down at Clementine who now stared ahead pensively mulling over the new information. 

“And seeing as how you are twelve it’ll  
probably happen sooner rather than later.” Luke chimed in before his face then gained a darker look as he fixed Clementine with a more serious gaze.

“Even though there will be some people saying that when that happens it will turn you into a woman that’s not true. You’re body may be going through changes and beginning the journey into adulthood. That does not mean you are an adult and if anyone tries to convince you otherwise and get you to do things that make you uncomfortable or weird you go on ahead and stab them.”

Jane nodded at Luke’s words. “He’s right some sick fucks out here will make some excuse that you are more mature than other girls or that you are better than most,” Jane grapsed Clem’s hands in her own, “But they are just trying to manipulate you and you have every right to run away or hurt them.”

Carver said something like that. But I don’t think he wanted what Luke and Jane are saying. Should I mention that? No probably not.But now that I remember Carver.

Clementine looked up towards Jane who had taken too rubbing Clem’s hands in hers. “Is AJ a result of that kinda thing between Rebecca and Carver?”

Jane halted her ministrations as she and Luke shared a look trying to find the right words to describe the details around the birth of their newest member. Luke leaned over further and threw his arms over the side of the chair.

He turned his head to the side staring at the blank wall, “What happened between Rebecca and Carver was a fucked up situation that shouldn't have happened.” Luke turned back towards the girls, “I’m not going to sit here and say AJ was the best thing to come out of if it or if it was worth it.” He leaned further over the chair his fingers grazing the floor of the house, “But we have him now and with both parents dead,that being Rebecca and Alvin, it's our turn to take care of him”

Jane drew her hands back and laid them across her lap. “Who’s to say we have to do that?”

That’s right she told Rebecca to get rid of it. But I like him, I think babies are sweet. 

Luke snapped back up at the connotation behind Jane’s words. 

“Jane I get it, this is going to be hard and I know that this is not going to be a fun ride. But I ain’t killing a baby.” His hands came up to scrub at his face before he once again sunk down in exasperation. “We keep him alive as best we can but we will not put him in danger on purpose, you got that?”

Luke began to stare down at Jane. The beginnings of another argument brewing before Jane threw up her hands and leaned back on them as she tilted her head back.

“No I get where you’re coming from and I won’t sit here and argue with a man who came back from the dead just a few hours ago.” She then looked towards Clem, “But just know that between the two of us it looks you’ve got the job of mom.” Jane grabbed Clem’s hat from behind and placed on the girl’s head and it pulled down the girl’s face as both began to laugh as the tense moment disappeared from the room.

Clementine fixed her hat, placed her hands on her hips and exclaimed “I’ll be the best mom! I can teach him the stab-smash method!”

Luke’s eyebrows rose, “stab-smash method?”

Now I’m the one with all the answers. Ha!

“Yeah, it’s when you stab a walker in the leg to bring him down and then you stab ‘em again in the head”

Jane brightened up as it appeared that Clementine was retaining the information she had told her. “Wouldn’t that just be stab-stab?”

Clementine scrunched up her face at the suggestion of the new name.

Adults have no creativity. “Stab-stab” sounds super silly and not cool at all.

Clem shoved into Jane, “Noooo it’s not about sense it’s about the coolness”

Luke chuckled at that and whined, “Yeaah Jane, it’s all about the coolness don’t you get that?”

Jane waved off the two with a smile on her face before standing up and dusting off her pants. “Okay I get it, now you two get some sleep we will probably have a really big and annoying day tomorrow and we all need to be ready for that”

“Yes, Jane” Luke and Clementine simultaneously said as they saluted the woman. 

“Hardee-har, good night you two,” Jane walked back outside to return to wherever it was that she was staying out here.

Hmm I hope we can find some more food, babies need a lot more food than grownups right? But then we have to smash it up or wait do we need milk instead?

“Hey Clem?” Luke’s voice interrupting her questioning mind.

“Yeah what is it?” 

She hoped this was quick she was actually feeling a bit tired and didn’t feel like talking for very long”

“After tomorrow we are probably going to split and go our separate ways, I don’t know who is going with who but just know that,” Luke looked at her earnestly, “I want you to be safe and I need you to think about who you could be safe with not just who you are friends with, you don’t have to give any names but just think on it,okay?”

Oh so I guess that’s what Jane means by a big day tomorrow. We are splitting up. 

She frowned at the thought of once again losing a group but she couldn’t help but feel relieved to know that there would be far less in-group fighting.

She smiled up at Luke, “Okay, I’ll think about it I promise!”

He breathed out in relief, “Okay good, thank you Clementine. I know you’ll make the right choice after all you are probably the smartest in the group”.

Clem smirked at that, “Even Jane?”

Luke rubbed his chin and pondered “Eh I guess it's a tie between the two of you then so let’s call it a draw.” He stretched out and leaned back in the chair, “I don’t know about you but I’m beat so I’m heading to bed see you tomorrow”

Luke rolled over and promptly went to sleep. He had clearly exhausted himself before he was ready and would be hard to awaken in the next few hours or years. At least that gave Clem some time to think about his question.

I guess that was his roundabout way of asking if I could go with him and convince Jane to come long too. I get that Kenny isn’t in the best way now but it would crush him if I left. 

Clementine remembered the ire and anger Kenny had on his face as he yelled at her for trying to save Sarita in the only way she could think of. Even though she knew he had suggested the same thing for Lee. Kenny cared about his family but his decisions have usually brought them closer to ruin than to success.

What if he gets worse? But what if he gets better? 

Clementine laid back down and made a new resolution that she knew she would stick to as soon as she felt better. 

Whichever happens I can’t leave AJ. Luke and Me are the only ones who seemed to have attached to him and Kenny is acting too weird to rely on. Whatever happens, AJ comes with me.

With that final thought Clementine drifted off to sleep unaware of the creeping figures sneaking out of the back of the house.


End file.
